'6L dying of inhaling second-hand smoke annually'-Nov 27, 2010, (how bad is even passive smoking)

'6L dying of inhaling second-hand smoke annually'

Kounteya Sinha, TNN, Nov 27, 2010, 12.12am IST



NEW DELHI: Second-hand smoke (SHS) is killing six lakhs annually, including 1.65 lakh children before they reach their fifth birthday. A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 192 countries -- the first of its kind to assess all deaths caused by SHS has found that tobacco kills nearly 5.7 millions globally every year, including 5.1 millions who die from their own smoking. The rest perish, thanks to passive smoking.

Only 7.4% of global population live in countries that boast of laws to prevent smoking in public places. Though India has banned smoking in public places, its stringent implementation has left a lot to be desired.

India recently released its Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), which found that despite a ban on public smoking -- about five in 10 adults (52.3%) were exposed to SHS at home and 29% at public places -- mainly in public transport and restaurants.

The WHO study, published in British medical journal The Lancet on Friday, said passive smoking is estimated to have caused 3.79 lakh deaths from ischaemic heart condition, 1.65 lakh deaths from lower respiratory infections, 36,900 from asthma and 21,400 from lung cancer -- around 1% of global deaths.

Around 47% women, who actually smoke much lesser than men, perish by inhaling SHS. The corresponding figures for children and men are 28% and 26%, respectively.

"The combination of infectious diseases and tobacco could be lethal for children," said Dr Annette Pruss-Ustun of WHO's Tobacco-Free Initiative in Geneva. She and her colleagues concluded that 40% children, 33% male non-smokers and 35% female non-smokers are regularly exposed to SHS. The biggest impact on children is in the developing world. Two-thirds of these deaths occur in Africa and South Asia, the authors claim, adding that children's exposure to SHS most likely happens at home.

According to the study, the highest numbers of people exposed to SHS are in Europe and Asia, and the lowest rates are in the Americas, eastern Mediterranean and Africa.

As per GATS, in India, 34.6% adults use tobacco in any form -- of which men and women account for 47.9% and 20.3%, respectively.

Among daily tobacco users, 60.2% consume it within half an hour of waking up. Average age at initiation of tobacco use is 17.8. Around 25.8% women take to the pernicious habit before they turn 15 years.

There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke -- of which at least 250 are harmful, and more than 50 cause cancer.